


Fingers Wrapped in Braids

by holdyourbreathfornow



Category: Half-Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: Domesticity, Gordon Has Long Hair And His Partners Love It: The Fic, Multi, Post-Canon, Rating due to cursing, casual affection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:13:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25109053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/holdyourbreathfornow/pseuds/holdyourbreathfornow
Summary: Gordon thinks he should get a haircut.Tommy and Benrey think he absolutely should not do that.
Relationships: Benrey/Tommy Coolatta/Gordon Freeman, Gordon Freeman & Joshua Freeman, Tommy Coolatta & Joshua Freeman
Comments: 14
Kudos: 228





	Fingers Wrapped in Braids

The first time someone notices Gordon’s growing his hair out, it’s a rainy Saturday morning and it’s Joshua who points it out.

The kid’s scribbling on one of those giant coloring mats with Tommy while Benrey pokes at the coffee machine in quiet rage. Gordon was on the balcony checking the water levels of his plants, but the balcony door slides open suddenly and he steps halfway in, leaning his head back outside so he can wring water from his hair.

“Daddy!” Joshua squeals and clambers onto his chubby baby legs, toddling over so Gordon can lean down and swoop him up.

“Hey, bud! Coloring with Tommy?”

“Mhm.” Joshua’s not really paying attention, too distracted with running his fingers through his dad’s damp hair, watching the brown strands coil around his tiny fingers. “‘Punzel.”

“Are you saying my hair’s long?” And the thing is, Joshua’s definitely not wrong. Gordon’s hair, damp and untied like it is now, reaches to his waist. “Do you think Daddy needs to get his hair cut?”

“No!” Tommy squeaks and both Tommy and Benrey’s eyes snap to him. “You’re pretty!”

“Yeah?” Gordon asks and Tommy nods.

“J-josh is right! You look very nice with long hair, Gordon!”

“Hm, yeah, but it’s certainly a hassle.” Gordon muses as he sets Joshua back down with Tommy, kissing the other man ‘good morning’ before he stands back up and moves over to Benrey and the coffee machine.

“Little babyman needs help combing his hair in the morning? Sh-shoot, bro, why didn’t you ask me. Expert hair brusher, I got… Got 100% on all the levels.”

“It’s too early for your particular brand of BS.” Gordon sighs but accepts Benrey’s good morning kiss as well, along with the cup of coffee Benrey made for him. He’s able to go settle down for some of his own drawing, but Benrey and Tommy lock eyes once again, having a silent conversation that mainly boils down to “Do not, for any reason, let Gordon Freeman cut his hair”.

-

“You’re home early!” Tommy calls from the kitchen a week later, cleaning dishes. Gordon’s just come through the front door, carefully setting another tower of planter pots by the balcony door. Benrey and Joshua are out walking Sunkist and playing Pokemon Go, so Tommy has his instrumental music playing over the stereo.

“Yep. Mrs. Rosario wants some more of the bell peppers so I’ve gotta plant some of those.” Gordon pecks Tommy on the cheek and prepares to head back outside when Tommy stops him.

“W-wait, Gordon! It’s awfully hot out there, do you- Can I pull your hair back first?”

“Sure?” Gordon seems confused when Tommy sets a plastic stool down in front of the TV, but obliges readily enough, settling down between Tommy’s legs. Tommy came prepared, and he has several hair bands around one wrist and some barrettes stuck into his shirt pocket. 

“Okay. Just gonna… I’m going to do a braid, okay?”

“Whatever you want.” Gordon tells him and then Tommy gets to work, gently brushing Gordon’s hair. 

He pays careful attention to the way tension slowly leaks from Gordon’s shoulders, until the other man falls asleep with his head resting against Tommy’s knee. Tommy smiles and carefully finishes the braid, pinning it in place before he slowly stands. 

Tommy lifts Gordon off the stool and carries him to the bedroom, tucking him in and turning the light off before he heads back to plant those bell peppers Gordon had mentioned earlier.

-

Benrey’s usually the last to wake up in the mornings, so when he blinks awake and the clock on the nightstand tells him it’s only 7, he crinkles his nose and turns back over, intent on getting some more shut-eye.

Instead he ends up face to face with Gordon, who’s still sound asleep. The braid he’d started wearing to bed had come undone and a few strands draped over his face. Benrey’s fingers twitch with the need to touch but instead he tucks them firmer under his pillow and simply stares at Gordon’s sleeping face, watching his eyes twitch under his eyelids as he dreams.

After what feels like forever, Benrey’s thinking about Heavenly Sword when Gordon cracks one eye open and smiles sleepily at him. Benrey’s thoughts shift right back to his partner as Gordon reaches out and grabs one of Benrey’s hands, his other hand resting on the arm Tommy has thrown over his waist.

“You’re up early.” Gordon whispers and Benrey yawns comically wide.

“Dunno what you’re talking about. Feels like- I slept enough that they released the PS… one thousand or some shit.” Gordon’s grin grows a little bit wider, causing his hair to fall over his one open eye. And Benrey remembers what had kept him from falling back asleep in the first place. “Bro, can I please play with your hair? Pleeeeeease?”

“What is with y’all and my hair lately?” Gordon asks but nods in assent. Benrey wiggles happily and starts trying to braid the few free strands with one hand, mostly just running his fingers through Gordon’s hair repeatedly.

“You were gonna chop it all off. Almost like… An arm, or somethin’.”

“Oh, he’s got jokes.” Gordon drawls and Benrey kisses his cheek in apology. “Do y’all want me to keep the hair?”

“And the beard.” Benrey drags his nails along Gordon’s jaw and Gordon sags further into the bed, eyes drooping before he forcefully blinks himself back awake. Their conversation wakes Tommy up, though, and he sits up enough to prop his chin on Gordon’s arm.

“We w-want you to do what makes you happy.” Tommy rasps. “And you seem super happy whenever we play with your hair.”

“It feels good.” Gordon sighs in mock defeat. “Fine. I’ll keep it.”

“Only if you want to.” Tommy repeats but Gordon smiles.

“It makes me happy that I can grow my hair out again. Back before… That place, I had my hair so long it was down to my knees. They made me shave ‘cause it looked ‘unprofessional’ or some shit.” He turns and buries half of his face in his pillow, looking up at the two of them with one sparkling eye. “Yeah, I’m gonna grow my hair out. It means I can move on.” He closes his eye and squeezes their hands. 

“And it means we’re all safe together. That’s all the happiness I’ll ever need.”


End file.
